I've been thinking about complicatedlight's complaints regarding media coverage of the BP oil spill.
He's clearly not wrong to point out the flaws, but at first I hesitated to recommend his article because it indirectly cast doubt on the enormity of the problem. Ultimately, though, some fault lies with the media here. Collectively, they failed to accurately convey the magnitude of the problem, and in some cases they probably failed to properly grasp the magnitude of the spill in the first place. It is due to this lack of accuracy that they have resorted to vague descriptions such as "it is visible from space" - a phrase that historically conjures up objects like the Great Wall of China or disasters like volcanic eruptions.
Of course, "visible from space" depends entirely on magnification and resolution. Cars can clearly be seen on most satellite pictures now. License plates can be clearly seen on the better pictures. And while I have no intimate knowledge of complicatedlight's asshole, I presume that if the CIA really had a burning need to get pictures of it from space, they would be quite capable of doing so.
So yes, demand that your journalists give facts and figures. Demand numbers. And hide your assholes from Big Brother in Space.
He's watching you.
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